Amonix Head Quarters?
It’s worth a muse:
Tim Cook, CEO of Apple is really into the ‘sustainable’ vision? Apple hired the Activist Lisa Jackson, and they’ll run it all on Solar and Wind? They’ll get those emissions down to a minimum, and paint every Apple building green?
Do you find it ironic, that Apple’s goal is to sell you a new version of the old one every week? It seems its part of their effort to put the cover on tight so you can’t put in a new battery or add more memory you might want or need. But next week’s version has that little bit extra, and of course all the kool kids will have one, and you want to be cool don’t you?
The Mechanic can’t help but imagine the emissions made in earning the money to buy a new one every week! Can we move the decimal place far enough without scientific notation to measure Apple’s in house efforts to reduce emissions as compared to what they encourage the world to emit? Does the world struggle to own this week’s Apple product, and how big of fire does it take to help earn the money?
If the con men and the marketing people all died tomorrow, who would order all that gang green paint? And Tim Cook, how does he sleep at night? I’d imagine he does so with the heat turned up on high.
GB
And where is Amonix now? Was it just last week, our government was ‘hyping’ the brand? Well, at least Apple isn’t feeding out of the public purse…. or are they?
to be fair they upgrade each of their products about once a year and are criticized for doing it way too infrequently. since there’s only one iPhone or any other Apple device you can name typically it’s just one manufacturer competing against dozens or even hundreds of manufacturers who each likely upgrade once a year or more frequently too. but because of that barrage of different manufacturers there are dozens or hundreds of upgrades per year in the android system or the Windows system. This is comparing apples to oranges.
but fair point about tightly sealed cases. for the iPhones it’s trivial to replace the battery but the iPads it’s quite a bit more complex. The same goes for Windows tablets.
Bill, no doubt! There are many who would consume ten times as often as Apple allows. My post is all about the business they are in. They don’t even make the IPOD case from hemp! The dollars earned and then spent to have the latest version is staggering, and the emissions made in the process of earning the money staggering stil. But Apple promises to be as green as Huffington, and hired Lisa Jackson to make it all happen. I only care because I think Lisa Jackson is a marketing expense.
Lisa Jackson is a problem. al gore is/was a board member too. probably there is the reason.
as far as emissions I have no issues. a few oz of aluminum glass and semiconductor is about like a 6 pack of sodas. probably some lip ring liberal arts students should reevaluate, though.
I didn’t make my post very clear, I suggest that Apple has lost their way, and they are now dancing with the devil. I htink they do so thinking they will be less of a target. But of course, it’s all a thought, as I know less and less each day..
with all those tens of billions of dollars they have in the bank I think they should spend some of it on renewable power if they like. It might be at their level they can actually pull off. I have no objections to a company running on solar if it can. I think it’s a great idea. it could easily be that pr is a factor and I’m not bothered by that.
I’ll go even further, if they can keep Lisa Jackson out of public office for the rest of her life that would be ok too.
they also bought a 10 mw bloom box for their nc data center, the one with 40 mw off the shelf pv. I wish I knew if that bloom device works well for them.
Thoughts about Apple? What is it Business people do WHEN countries turn towards Socialisim? When the Government takes over segments once run by the private sector what to do? How many in Apple work on long term Strategies? It’s quite possible that they ‘know’ the best strategy is what’s been used before, and that is to dance with the devil, and even become his ‘best boy’, if that’s what it takes. And what is it that will stop Socialisim? Think about Ferguson before you answer. Ferguson was a useful tragedy, and who organized the protest? Is it about what happened to Michael Brown, or the next vote? Do the rats follow the Piper and have no clue what he’s really up to? I don’t know, but I wonder.
Dear Utter Power, you are a crazy fucking asshole. Go fuck yourself you dumb motherfucker.
Bob, take it easy, go ahead and tell us what you’re so upset over this post..
Why don’t you prove that Amonix took gov money? Prove it asshole! You can’t .. ! YOu are as dumb as they come.
Bob, sounds like you got a story to tell? Go ahead, and tell us…
I don’t think Amonix took a nickel from the public purse, and I think their CEO was an honest and sincere man. I do think Amonix was played, and perhaps the players infused Amonix with a few ‘key’ marketing people, just to help out? What ever the case Bob, sounds like you’re the authority I’ve been looking for? Someone to tell us what really happened? No one seemed even the least bit interested in Amonix the second there was a LOT of their product in the field. Not the NREL, not the Politicians, no one! Just the sound of silence.
bob here is another $4.47 million amonix took from the US government.
I would be embarrassed if I were you – presenting such easily falsifiable claims publicly along with vulgar ad hominem arguments.
i’m curious about your angle. it’s unlikely a principal from amonix would present so crudely and clumsily. May be an aficionado of solar power from his chair who gets mangled whenever it is criticized?
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/pdfs/sunshot_awards_bystate_2011_09_01.pdf
Bill, Bob Cobb was not worth your time, he has an AOL email address, I’ve never met a technical mind with an AOL address unless they worked there. As for my comments about Apple, it’s a very well run company, and up till recently, they appeared to stay clear of the land mines. I do think there are incredible emissions made in ‘earning the money’ to buy Apple products, and those who buy them should think about that as they drive to work each day. It’s their payment times a multiple that staggers a thinking mind. Back to Amonix, for me, Amonix is the Monolith! We may live long enough to see the big fight as to who will clean up the mess? WE curious types would love to put a laser on the structural elements of the 7700s at hatch, according to reports, they’ve taken on a serious load of ice and slush while in their parked horizontal position. Known damage was the racks that either point or train, and these weredamaged by wind gusts. All of this knowledge could be useful, and WHEN ‘our’ government awards so many prizes, at least they can allow us to know the problems. Lots of PV cells burned out? Maybe that’s why a 5MW rated power plant never makes much more than 3.5MW? And it happens on blue sky days when the road runner makes 100% of rated capacity?
For those who do have a clue, and Bob Cobb probably doesn’t… It was as if Amonix was swept off their feet, and I’d bet they had very little oversee of the actual manufacturing in Vegas plant, and likely a lot of problems delivered to the field. I also think they got caught in the middle, they had contracted to deliver, but had no contract regarding prices. When all was said and done, I doubt Amonix had much left over after wages and materials were paid off. But there is much more, this design needs so much labor to keep it running, the water an moisture should be near impossible to keep out, and the thermal cycle in the desert can and does force water into places you’d never dream unless you were an outside plant engineer with some years of experience. CPV is full of maintenance, and the logic escapes me, why do we need concentration IF we deploy on cheap desert land? The only logical reason to do so would be IF it were less expensive, and that is certainly NOT the case.
I keep checking that Hatch Wiki, it appears that those who were updating the monthly power production figures lost interest WHEN they noted they were displaying what looked like a degrade in power plant production. Whatever the case, we can watch that simple road runner power plant, a simple ganged single axis tracker, cheap to maintain, and do note that it often makes full rated power! I have never seen Hatch make rated power, not on the best day! The 7700s, are a jobs program, but in areas like Alamosa, and Hatch, you better have a good supply of spares, and again, the logic of when to stow a tracker, and when to come out of stow? I think as per logic, there is no way to prevent loss or damage, the best one can do is attempt to mitigate it best as one can. Now let’s compare to the Road Runner, just how much wind, hail, water damage yo think that plant has suffered? CPV is a VERY complex tech to master.
true, not worth my time. But someone on the Internet was wrong!
Bill, I think that Amonix was so ‘well managed’ by the big players, that they weren’t able to take advantage of what the governmet offered, or not all of it. I still think A 7700 would make a great high tech car port, I’d love to own one if the scraper would deliver. http://www.technologyreview.com/view/428556/concentrating-solar-pv-company-amonix-shutters-factory/
Again, I think Amonix was contracted to deliver at a price, and did not have contracts to buy the important assemblies at locked in prices, thsi likely the reason they could not take advantage of the subsidy mentioned here. Amonix not stupid, just likely pushed to move faster than a small company with little business experience could?
it may be that there is more money yet to be had from these amonix units. they could be classified as hazardous waste and require speciali$t removal.
Bill, regarding Amonix. What we need is a therory where all the pieces fit. I think I have one. Of course we could just ask Bob Cobb, but it’s possible he’s already shared his entire vocabulary with us. I remember a certain Mr. Westoff, he runs a popular Alternative Energy site. Once Alamosa was up and running, he asked the owner/operator if he could get in for a tour. According to a post he made, they had no interest in sharing a thing with him, and he felt shunned by them (my take). This was shortly after a lot of hype, and Martha was on TED talking about the exciting times in concentrated PV. Remember the story of the guy in the NREL, he was so excited about Amonix he quit at the NREL, and joined Amonix? I’d be so much fun to follow the careers of some of these people.
Here’s a therory I’ll propose. First, I think Amonix was courted by those who sell green energy investments, and perhaps those who are ‘forced’ to buy/sell a certain amount of renewables to operate in an area. When it becomes a law, you need do it, and you have a finite period of time to act.
As a plant owner or operator, what do you do with a loser? A plant that has higher maintenance or design problems? You don’t let in the techies and tourists to confirm the problems, you lay low, and look for an oppurtunity to bundle your power plant in with other green stuff, and sell it to a Green Energy Fund? The manager might be some kid, or perhaps rewarded in some way? Maybe there’s a piece of better stuff in the bundle he wants?
Did Hatch, or Alamosa change ownership yet? I think at least one did.
and there’s a $90 million loan guarantee from the government for alamosa
http://www.pv-tech.org/mobile/news/doe_finalizes_90.6m_loan_guarantee_for_30mw_alamosa_solar_power_plant_featu
Again, I think those who ‘played’ Amonix got the money, no doubt, Harry Reid, or his friends got a slice of it to make sure it happened. My picture of Amonix in the Garden shed, it’s my way of saying, they didn’t seem to get bigger after Alamosa and Hatch, why not? It’s all what I think, and maybe bob Cobb will tell us so we know?
Bob here is 15.6 million amonix took as a grant from the government.
http://m.reviewjournal.com/business/economy/amonix-closes-north-las-vegas-solar-plant-after-14-months